The families of 33 pro-independence fighters who were killed in the 1950s in the region today known as Malawi are demanding reparations from the UK for “unjustified killings” perpetrated towards the end of colonial rule.

Relatives of protesters who were killed by British colonial forces in Malawi in 1959 during the Operation Sunrise massacre in Nyasaland said they are seeking reparations in court.

The South African newspaper Mail & Guardian reports the families of 51 slain freedom fighters are pushing the Malawi government to seek £100-million in compensation.

On March 3, 1959, Britain imposed a state of emergency in Nyasaland to stop violent protests by political activists of the Nyasaland African Congress fighting for independence, led by Hastings Kamuzu Banda.